On Wednesday, October 30, 2013 4:45:26 PM UTC-4, Craig Funston wrote:
On Wednesday, October 30, 2013 10:59:24 AM UTC-7, dogger wrote:

Searching the archives I found a long 2003 RAS thread about Gelcoat. It was



a good discussion involving several top people.



What I got out of it was, there is not much a owner can do about Gelcoat



life. Some real experts advise not to wax as it may keep any water vapor [



? ] trapped in the Gelcoat and that could cause problems. They say you



want it to be able to breathe to some extent.



Other experts swear waxing is good for the surface and waxing will



discourage yellowing and fading.



Why sailboats look good after many years seem to come from the fact that



when they come out of the mold they are not worked on further, the



Gelcoat surface is left intact, while gliders come out of the molds and



there is a lot of work to be done to them, aggressive sanding to the



Gelcoat seems to open minute cracks that can propagate, it seems, says the



experts.



Me? I'm going to continue to wax. Makes me feel good. I like the smell..



Makes me feel like I'm trying to make a effort to keep the refinish man



away for as long as possible.







Boats survive better in harsher conditions because they use better gelcoat than the German sailplanes do. This has mostly to do with certification requirements for anything "new". Tends to reduce innovation in that area. It's such a pity to pay top dollar for new glider with a finish that we all know won't last more than 15 years.

Craig

15 years? I know of many gliders that look great after 30. I own one! I think the answer has more to do with the weight and finish. BTW I see many boats with gelcoat that would make a glider owner cry but on a boat it not a big deal. Not many boat owners stare down and whip every inch of their hulls every time they use them.